


Hard Battle

by WinchesterWarrenSon



Series: Battle Scars Series [2]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Depression, Developmentally Disabled Son Goku, Disabled Character, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 17:44:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3390518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinchesterWarrenSon/pseuds/WinchesterWarrenSon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connected to Battle Scars. Goku continues to live with Yamcha and is slowly learning just how difficult Yamcha's day-to-day life is with both depression, an anxiety disorder, and a bad leg.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hard Battle

The call from Chichi seemed like it would never come, and Goku was perfectly fine learning how to adapt to his new life with Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong. In some ways, it felt like old times, but in many ways, it was very new.

Goku, at least temporarily, was working as a bodyguard like Yamcha was too, just at a different location. Yamcha’s face when he learned that Goku got a job at Ms. Hana’s bar was funny. He didn’t know why he had looked so surprised, though. Maybe it was because Ms. Hana was taller and had a much deeper voice than most women they had met?

Either way, Goku worked at a paying job for the first time in his life and he helped sometimes with grocery shopping and had fun trying a bunch of different stuff he had never had before. Yamcha said a lot of it was processed and not necessarily natural or even good for you, but sometimes eating crap made you feel better. Goku liked the bubbles that the sodas had. Puar said it was carbonation.

Every day had been pretty much the same: get up, go for a run, shower, make plans for what their city adventures for the day would be, eat, go to work, come back home and discover another movie Goku had never seen, go to bed, repeat.

Except for today. Today, Yamcha didn’t get up when Goku did. He didn’t go for the run at all, and by the time that Goku finished with the shower and saw that Yamcha still hadn’t gotten out of bed, he was starting to wonder what was going on.

"Yamcha?"

Goku went over to the fuuton and moved to press a hand to Yamcha’s forehead, like he sometimes did with Gohan when he was little and not acting normally, in case he had a fever.

"It’s not a fever, Goku," Yamcha grumbled out, though he didn’t even bother to push his hand away from his forehead.

"What’s wrong, then?" Goku asked.

Yamcha sighed. “Remember when I told you … that my brain isn’t nice to me sometimes?”

Goku nodded. Yamcha rolled over in the bed.

"This is one of those times…."

Goku frowned. “But … what does that mean exactly?”

Yamcha took a deep breath and just talking to Goku seemed to take a lot of energy, which confused Goku a lot. Aside from the bad leg (Yamcha actually had a disability car tag hanging from the rearview mirror, which Goku hadn’t understood why it was there until the day Yamcha’s leg was acting up so bad he really couldn’t walk from the car to the grocery store), Yamcha was in perfect physical health and his ki signal wasn’t suffering….

"Lack of motivation. Mental exhaustion reached too easily. Frustrated with self…."

He didn’t seem to be done with listing things, but Yamcha didn’t say anything else, and Goku furrowed his eyebrows.

Puar flew into the room, carrying a tray with food and tea. She set it down on the floor beside Yamcha, then hovered in the air again.

"It’s herbal tea with miso soup and rice," Puar said, prepared and sounding like this happened a lot.

"Thanks, Puar…." Yamcha said, sounding tired.

Goku frowned, wondering what he could do to help, but nothing was coming to mind.

"And your medication from Dr. Parrish is right here," Puar pointed out. A little pill bottle was sitting next to the cup of tea. Goku peered over to see what it was exactly, but he couldn’t really tell what it was from the label. He had never heard of that word and it only had instructions written on it, not what it was for.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Goku asked, getting worried.

The time it took to get an answer didn’t make Goku confident that the answer he got was true, partially because Puar was giving him an odd look that looked like she had no idea how to answer that question, and not knowing how to answer “are you gonna be okay” isn’t a good sign at all.

"Yeah. I’ll be up eventually. In time for work at any rate…. Thank God for working the night shift…."

Goku frowned more, but didn’t say anything.

"You go ahead and get food, okay? Don’t worry," Yamcha said. At Yamcha’s words, Puar flew up and pulled at Goku’s sleeve.

"C’mon, we made plenty of rice and soup," Puar said, pulling him out of the room.

Goku was pensive over breakfast, not really looking at Puar or Oolong as the cat and pig talked about a variety of things they needed to do that day - Oolong sold newspapers and Puar worked at a cat cafe as a waitress. Goku didn’t have work until the nighttime like Yamcha; he usually either spent the day training or doing something with Yamcha while Puar and Oolong were at work.

Goku didn’t eat as much as he usually did, but he did eat and when he was finished, he picked his dishes up and put them in the sink, then washed them off. That cause Puar and Oolong to stop their conversation and stare at him; house chores were not something Goku really did. Watching him fold laundry was hilarious, fixing his mistakes when he’d wash the laundry made them cringe while laughing, and many, many other chores either frustrated Goku or bored him so much he’d just wander away from it and find something else that would keep his attention for hours.

When Goku was done with that, he went back into the bedroom that they all shared. Puar and Oolong stared for a moment, then Puar quickly flew after him.

"Goku, he’s not - !"

But she stopped as she watched Goku curl up against Yamcha. Yamcha’s eyes widened a bit in response, and he turned his head around to look at Goku as best he could from that position.

"Goku?"

"I’m staying with you until you feel like moving."

Yamcha was stunned into silence. He wouldn’t ever have expected that from Goku. Goku, who pretty much stayed away from home for years just because of exciting training opportunities, who would be out of their lives for so long only to come back with exciting stories and superior strength every time. Goku, who couldn’t keep his attention on anything if he wasn’t remotely interested in it. Goku … Goku was choosing to lay here with him and do … essentially nothing.

He didn’t think it would last long, but the effort was appreciated nonetheless.

Yamcha smiled and said, “Okay.”

Puar watched them for a few moments, then flew back into the other room. She needed to get ready for work after all….

Yamcha’s prediction that Goku would get bored and do his usual was wrong.

Goku stayed cuddled up next to Yamcha the entire time, only moving or getting up for food - which he would bring back and share with Yamcha, encouraging him to eat since they did have work that night.

He managed to talk Yamcha out of calling in sick and getting a last minute replacement for his shift, and by the time he had finally picked himself up and started getting ready for work, Yamcha was grateful for it.

The most significant part was that Goku still smiled at him and waved him goodbye as he started to jog in the direction of work at the part where they parted ways - as though nothing different happened today. It was a little thing, honestly, but … .

Yamcha blushed hard as he realized his heart was beating fast. Goku’s cuddles had been warm and soft and made him feel safe when he felt the most vulnerable, and they weren’t supposed to be for him. They were for Chichi and their sons, not … .

 _If Chichi wanted him back, she’d have called_ , a nasty little voice in his head said as he drove to work.

But why hadn’t she called? The phone was working fine, as was the answering machine…. Wasn’t it?

**Author's Note:**

> Ms. Hana is a tribute to Tokyo Godfathers. Hana is the name of the transgender homeless woman in that movie. In case it's not clear, Goku has a job as a bodyguard at a transgender bar.


End file.
